Posted 3/24/2024, 12:58:52 AM
Pakistani Parties Employ Ethnic Nationalism for Electoral Gains While Seeking to Preserve Pakistani Federalism
- Bhutto regime in the 1970s tried to appropriate Sindhi, Baloch, and Pakhtun nationalisms to fortify Pakistani federalism after the loss of East Pakistan
- Zia used Political Islam to undermine ethnic nationalism, but failed in Sindh
- PPP has used a federalized Sindhi nationalism strategy to dominate Sindh electorally since 2008
- PML-N is now trying to appropriate Punjabi language and culture as "Punjabiyat" to boost its electoral fortunes in Punjab
- Distilled ethnic nationalism can merge with Pakistani federalism to dilute radical threats, as the PPP demonstrated in Sindh